


The way things are

by fadedlikethelilac



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Caring, M/M, Morality, Past Relationships, Prison, Skyfire is an idiot, Slow Burn, and starscream hates him for it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-10-04 16:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17307746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadedlikethelilac/pseuds/fadedlikethelilac
Summary: Starscream does not adapt well to a post war world where the autobots rule.Skyfire tries to talk some sense into him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Mogseltof requested Skyfire/starscream arguments.
> 
> And now it's gotten away from me.   
> Should update with short chapters regularly,   
> please bare in mind half of this project is just to get me to write and post regularly.   
> So the writing is not going to be as good as I would like, but please feel free to comment or point out mistakes.   
> (or scream your frustrations if you like)

“It doesn’t have to be like this.” Skyfire all but pleaded. “There’s no reason why you can’t help me in the science division. Hell it doesn’t even have to be with me, I’m sure prime would approve a research project for you.”

Starscream sneered. “Sure tell him I’d like to work on the further applications of Synthetic Energon.”

“Really?” Even from behind the bars Starscream felt the hope radiating from Skyfire, the way his wings picked up only added to the effect. “That’s an excellent application of your skills,” Skyfire continued excitedly, “I’m sure we should be able to find a way to improve its quality, especially since it already has applications in cyberforming.”

“We?” Starscream said, “I have no interest in working with  _ you  _ Skyfire.” He smirked as he watched Skyfire’s wings dip. “I wouldn’t mind working with  _ Knockout _ , if you can spare him.”

“Knockout? Why Knockout”

“He was the one who stabilized the formula for the synthetic energon after all.” Starscream said stalking over to the bars. “And more important He never deserted me.”

“Starscream I… Megatron’s plan with the dark energon was  _ Wrong _ .”

“Sure,” Starscream shrugged. “Then again your place of judgement from a Breem worth of experience was perfectly appropriate. I never tried to claim that Megatron was perfect, why the fragging hell do you think I was trying to overthrow him, but oh no, the decepticons are evil and Starscream is a Violent Psychopath. Did your autobots tell you that or did you figure it out on your own?”

“Starscream I…”

“You what Skyfire? You’re Optimus’s pet scientist now, I’m sure he only has you doing completely ethical experiments.”

Skyfire straighten up to his full height towering over Starscream. “Yes actually. Prime is nothing like Megatron.”

Starscream actually laughed then, high pitched and bordering on hysterical.

“I actually forgot you missed the start of the war. Megatron and Optimus are  _ exactly _ the same, Megatron just has the decency not to pretend to be morally superior he never pretend that people weren’t going to die to reach this point.”

“Optimus never tried to kill anyone.”

Starscream snorted, “I suppose giving order to use the spark extractor doesn't count as him doing the killing.”

“What Optimus never…”

“Yes he fragging well did. Or don’t you remember smokescreen detonating the thing in the middle of an entire platoon of Eradicons. You didn’t even need to you already had all four omega keys.”

“Oh that, That hardly counts they were just Eradicons and…”

“Just Eradicons? What the frag is that supposed to mean?”

“We you know,” Skyfire shifted uncomfortably, well aware he’d just stepped on a land mine, but unwilling to back down. “Cold constructed mechs don’t count, like…”

“Skyfire. I was cold constructed. Off an assembly line. Exactly like the Eradicons.”

“Yes, but you’re different Star, you know that. You’ve got the spark of a scientist it’s not your fault they put it in the body of some seeker grunt.”

“Leave.”

“Starscream, you can’t just…”

“Leave now.”

Starscream turned his back and stalked to the back of his cell. Ignoring everything else Skyfire tried to say to him. He’d always known that Skyfire thought like this, but even after two hundred Vorns, that didn’t stop it hurting. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologise for how terrible this chapter is. I think it was better in my mind.
> 
> Next chapter is already written and is more starscream and skyfire arguing, I'll post that later, probably tomorrow, none of this is long so I'm going to see how long I can keep up daily posting.
> 
> Also, yes, I am a massive KOBD shipper, unfortunately I was plotting this starring Starscream, so breakdown is still dead... Sorry.

“You know you could take advantage of the fact that Skyfire’s willing to let you get away with anything.” This time it was Knock Out standing in front of his cell looking in.  

“I don’t want his help.”

“Do you want to stay in the jail cell? Because those are your choices.”

“Prime will let me out soon enough, he doesn’t have it in him to keep me locked up for that long.”

“Only because fragging Skyfire keeps advocating for you.”

“He what?” Starscream didn’t how how horrified he was, Skyfire couldn’t be the only reason Prime kept releasing him. Prime was a soft sparked fool. It couldn’t just be Skyfire. 

“He’s doing it again right now, right after he came to talk to me about being your lab partner again. He said you wanted to work on the Syntheneg. What the hell Starscream, you do remember what happened last time we were working on that together right?”

Starscream shrugged, trying to ignore how hard skyfire was trying for some worthless factory frame. “I’m not going to make the same mistakes again.”

“What do you even want it for.” Knockout said in frustration. “Skyfire didn’t even say.”

Starscream smirked. “That would be because he didn’t ask and I didn’t say.” 

“Well?”

“I was thinking about the weaponization properties. I’m thinking a non-contagious form of the terricon virus that can be delivered at range.”

Knock out groaned, “of course you do. You do realise we are at peace at the moment the war is over.”

“For you maybe, traitor.”

“Hardly, Megatron was already dead when I switch sides. Either way if skyfire manages to get you approved I want no part in it. I have a good enough life now.”

“Really so your happy to be all buddy buddy with the Autobots they killed…”

“No.” Knock Out’s voice was cold. “Breakdown as killed by a decepticon.”

Starscream rolled his eyes. “Are you still hung up about that It’s been Orns can’t you just get over it already.”

Knock Out shook his head, “What the hell is wrong with you? The war is over, there is no point in trying to fight it anymore.”

“So your here to try and get me to give up as well.”

Knock Out should his head. “Honestly I don’t care you do you. But you said it yourself orns ago. There’s no difference between Megatron and Optimus So what does it matter who won the war.”

“It matters that we are still ruled by a prime, the rot will seep back in. It already has. Optimus doesn’t have the will to stop it.”

“Like I said, you do you. Just keep me out of it.” Knock Out stalked off leaving Starscream alone in his cell. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here have another chapter.   
> In case it isn't, clear Starscream has been realised between the last chapter and this one. 
> 
> I'm not putting too much thought into this, but Starscream is being released partly because he's not doing to much just being a nuisance, and then also because Skyfire is advocating on his behalf and OP wants to give him a chance. A fair number of other autobots just want to lock him up and throw away the key, that's more the reason that it's important that skyfire is advocating for him.

The wind beneath his wings the landscape of a rebuilt cybertron racing past beneath him. This was what he lived for, this is what he’d been built for — literally. 

He cut his speed a bit, no point wasting energon it was still rationed, at least for him it was. 

He had been built for this, and he didn’t resent it. There was nothing wrong with being cold constructed. Well, he remembered coming online there was plenty wrong with what had happened. The law was such that any spark harvested from the allspark had to be put into a frame. That was why he’d been brought online. That was the only reason he’d been brought online. He had no trine, no contract, no fuel but what he had in the tank. He owned his own frame and that was the only thing he had going for him, but he’d found a way. He’d managed. 

He’d made it into Iacon university, that’s where he’d met Skyfire. 

As if on queue Skyfire pulled into formation beside him. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch you, you always were so fast.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” Starscream said, still bitter about their earlier argument.

“Compliment.” Skyfire responded. “Why would you think it was meant as an insult?”

“I was made to be fast. On a production line. Remember.” In the past he wouldn’t have said something like that. He would have just let their previous argument go but things had been different back then. Skyfire had been one of the more progressive mechs at the university and starscream had just wanted to research. Like that had ever been an option under the old council. 

“You aren’t what they made you starscream. You are what you made you.”

Starscream cut off the scathing retort, for once skyfire had gotten it right. “Yes.” he said voice softer than his normal screech. 

They fell into silence flying side by side, until skyfire spoke again. “Prime has approved your research project into furthering medical applications of the Synthetic Energon.”

“Huh. you really did talk him into it.”

“I said I would, please starscream. You know you’ll be good at this.”

“Alright fine, I’ll work on your stupid project.”

“Thank you. Did you still want to work with Knock Out or maybe…”

“I’m not working with you Skyfire. But no, Knock out isn’t interested in working with me on this project. So I guess I’m working on it alone.” He left off the reason why knock out didn’t want to work with him. 

“Ah well… It’s not me you understand, Prime’s said you can work on the project…”

Starscreams mind completed Skyfire’s unfinished sentence cool rage rising in his EM field. “But I have to have to have a lab partner.” He glared at skyfire, he was not going to work with him, not like this. “Fine, just find me some young autobot who’s interested in working on the project and is capable of taking orders.”

“There isn’t anyone else who wants to work with you starscream. I honestly thought Knock out would be happy to work with you.”

“It’s you or nothing that’s it is it? I really didn’t think you would sink so low.”

“I… I won’t make you work with me starscream I’m not like that.”

“Yeah but Prime will right, isn’t that a nice little excuse for you. Well I won’t do it.” 

“Starscream please, I’ll find another way.”

“Why does this matter so much to you?”

“Is it really so hard to believe that I still care about you.”

Starscream paused thinking about it, thinking about everything. “Yes.” He fired his thrusters taking off, he did not want to continue this conversation, and thankfully skyfire couldn’t keep up. 


	4. Chapter 4

“Okay who is working in the science division?” Starscream strode into Skyfire’s office wings held high. 

“Umm,” Skyfire stuttered more than a little taken by the sight, a pang of longing in his spark. He had missed Starscream, but Starscream had never been like this before the war. The starscream he remembered at been a timid thing. Confidence look good on Starscream, even if he had no idea how to respond. “Lots of mechs.”

“No shit.” Starscream rolled his optics. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to find your office.”

Skyfire managed to get himself to focus rather that stare at Starscream’s wings. Okay So focus and oggle Starscream's wings. It was hardly his fault. Starscream was displaying them it was impossible not to look. 

Starscream flared his EM field in frustration. “Cybertron to Skyfire, is anyone is there. Is there like a list or something?”

Skyfire started “List!?“ Starscream was talking about the mechs who worked in the science division. “No there isn’t a list. Why did you need to know?”

“Of course there isn’t a list.” Starscream flicked his wings in annoyance, drawing skyfire’s eyes back to them. There weren’t many fliers left, hell given that he had no interest in the aerial bots Starscream was pretty much the only other flier left. Oh sure there were a few coptors but they just weren’t the same as a flyer. And starscream was the best. 

“Why did you need it?” Skyfire managed to ask again. 

“Why do you think. Apparently I need a lab partner.”

“I told you starscream, I already asked around and I’m the only one who will work with you.”

“And I told you no. So excuse me if I do my own searching for a lab partner.”

Skyfire shrugged. “I’m not going to stop you.” It wasn’t like attempting to stop starscream had ever done anything for him in the past. 

Starscream rolled his eyes. “And you’re not going to help me either, I guess I’m doing this the old fashioned way.” He turned to stalk out of the office. 

SKyfire stood abruptly, jolting his desk. “I’ll come with you.”

“I can manage just fine thank you.” Starscream said Haughtily.

Skyfire followed him all the same, and not just because it was a convenient excuse to spend time with starscream instead of doing paperwork.  

They hadn’t even gotten halfway down the corridor when starscream rounded on him. An enraged starscream was a creature of beauty. “Why the frag are you following me skyfire. I. Do. Not. Want. Your. Help. Go AWAY.”

“You came into my office for a reason starscream.”   

“Yeah to get a list so I’d have an idea of who I had to choose from and who I had to persuade to work with me. Instead I’m going to go on foot and see who I can find.”

“I already asked everyone.”

Starscream glared at him. “And did you want to find someone else for me to work with or did you want me to work with you.”

“I want you to be happy.”

Starscream snorted. “Yeah right you want me to be your little pet seeker.”

“I… It’s not like that starscream. You were my friend before you were my lover, and you have never been…”

“Just go away and let me do my own search.”

“I’ll accompany you.”

“Go away Skyfire.”

He vented hating that it came to this, well hating that it had to come to Starscream finding out at least. “No.”

“What the frag why not?”

“Optimus…”

“Oh for primus fragging Glitched faced scrap metal. Fine, You know what fine, be my chaperone then.” He turned and continued walking, Skyfire following behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look a chapter. You know I was originally going to write this from starscream's point of view. Then Skyfire saw Starscream and instead this happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starscream searches, and he doesn't like what he finds.

As they walked through the faculty grounds, Starscream had to keep the growing sense of dread out of his field. The autobots had won the war. He had know it was going to be bad. Whatever they told the humans he knew what they were fighting for. 

But so far through all the labs and offices they’d been too, they hadn’t come across a single former decepticon. Eventually Starscream snapped. Turning to Skyfire who, thankfully had been silent though out his entire search. 

“Where are the decepticons?”

“Well, knockout is currently working in the Medical centre and I assume Hook and Mixmaster have been require on the construction of the new tower.”

“Yes, I figured that much, none of them will want to work with me, I mean the other decepticons.”

“What do you mean the other decepticons.”

Starscream stared at skyfire. “Are you telling me, that out of all the decepticon’s still alive at the end of the war, only  _ Three  _ are working in the science division, and  _ none _ of them are doing so full time?”

“Ahhh, yes. It’s not like you had many Scientists survive the war. Shockwave was executed.”

Starscream, froze panic flooding his field, but he kept it clamped against his plating so that Skyfire couldn’t tell. “They executed Shockwave?” he said carefully. 

“Yes, and Airachnid, for war crimes.”

“Soundwave?” starscream questioned only just keeping the panic from his field. 

“Hasn’t been seen since the last battle, word was he’s trapped in the shadowzone.”

“I…” his vocaliser glitched letting out a burst of static. “Am I the only surviving officer?” Starscream managed. 

“Unless Megatron survived reentry, yes. We still haven’t found his body.”

“Okay... “ Starscream paused rethinking. He’d he’d really thought, the others were still out there somewhere. That maybe decepticons would be back. It was just him left. 

“It’s okay starscream. I won’t let them do that to you.”

Anger flared in Starscream’s field. “I don’t want you protecting me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short, this week has been a bad week. I've been having nothing but bad weeks lately and this week still some how managed to be bad. Even so I'm going to try to build this habit even if that means I'm posting these short things. 
> 
> Next is probably going to also be bad, but I'm going to set myself the goal of writing a little bit every day, instead of just the goal of something posted on sunday so maybe that will help.


End file.
